It is generally known in the art to provide an umbrella which can be mounted on, for instance, a wheeled club carrier for protecting the clubs. One such example is shown in Jacobs U.S. Pat. No. 2,806,711, dated Sept. 17, 1957. In the Jacobs patent, involving a particular construction of wheeled club carrier, a tube is adapted to house an umbrella which can be stored therein or used for protecting the clubs. When removed from storage, the umbrella handle or shaft can be mounted in the top of the tube so as to protect clubs carried by the wheeled carrier. The Jacobs carrier involves a carousel type arrangement for the golf clubs whereby the clubs can be removed laterally from the carrier, and do not have to be removed upwardly toward the covering umbrella head. The Jacobs umbrella, when mounted in club protecting position, is fixed in position, and there is no concept of adjustability. The Jacobs device clearly would be unsuitable for use with a golf bag or other club carrier where the clubs are removed upwardly from the open upper end of the bag or the like, since club removal would necessitate dismounting and remounting of the umbrella.
Braun U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,934, issued Feb. 18, 1975, discloses a golf cart umbrella and holder, provided either as an integral part of the cart, or as an attachment for the cart. The structure comprises an outer tube in which is slidably mounted a hollow inner tube, which in turn is adapted either to store an umbrella, or to serve as a stanchion or support for the umbrella. The hollow inner tube is mounted in the outer tube in telescoping fashion for movement from a collapsed position to a raised or extended position. An appropriate holding mechanism is provided to maintain the inner tube in place when it is raised to its raised position, which holding mechanism may consist of the frictional contact between the inner and outer tubes, or may include a pin lock mechanism for holding the inner tube in its extended position. The disclosed umbrella is a full sized umbrella, and supposedly provides protection for the golfer and the clubs carried in the golf cart. There is no mention in the patent of the umbrella being movable between a lower club-protecting position and a raised club-removal position.
It is, of course, also known in the art to provide a special receptacle or holder in a golf bag for transporting a full sized golf umbrella, one example of this being shown in Deibel U.S. Pat. No. 1,956,008, which incorporates a tube in which an umbrella can be stored. There is no disclosure of the tube being used as a support or stanchion for the umbrella.